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Free Essays - The Uses of Power in Negotiation

Introduction:

To understand the uses of power in negotiation one must first understand what the two terms negotiation and power are. Hence in this paper, we will first begin by understanding the very nature of these two words. It is only then that we can study the role of power in negotiation. Power can be of many kinds and can be attributed to different sources. Some of these types may help the negotiation process while others may simply lead to a further entanglement of issues.

Power:

Power refers to the potential to influence another successfully. More formally, it is the capacity to change the behavior or attitudes of others in a desired fashion. It is different from simply exerting social influence and is simply the capacity to have a desired effect on others. There are several different sources of such power, but in general, these stem from two sources: one’s personal characteristics and one’s organizational position (Stewart, 1989).

Personal Power:

Power derived from one’s own qualities or characteristics is known as personal power. There are four sources of personal power: rational persuasion, referent power, expert power and charisma.

Rational persuasion relies on logical arguments and factual evidence to convince others that a certain idea is acceptable. Rational persuasion is highly effective when the parties involved are intelligent enough to make their cases strongly and to understand them clearly. Based on clear logic, good evidence, and the desire to help the company, rational persuasion tends to be quite effective. Expert power is based on superior knowledge of a certain field. A coach has power over athletes to the extent he or she is recognized as knowing what is best. Those who do not exhibit their expertise clearly lack this important source of power. People whose expertise is highly regarded ...